Lebanon Drug Production Ramps Up

Lebanon is set to be a powerhouse again – in its production of marijuana and poppy. According to interviews with farmers and Lebanese officials, as well as documents from international organizations that monitor drugs, the drug trade in the country has ramped back up again since it dropped following the 1975-1990 civil war.

A Google News report found that Israel’s Anti-Drug Authority blames Hezbollah militants as being behind the flow of cross-border drugs as an element in the war on the Jewish state. Hezzbollah has denied the allegations.

During the civil war, production peaked in the Bekaa territory. After this period, it died down to the point that the U.S. removed Lebanon from its list of big producers in 1997.

On a recent visit to the country by the Associated Press, acres of cannabis were seen growing behind concealing stands of tall corn stalks. At the same time, farmers spoke openly of the fortunes they are making off the plants.

"The accusation is that Hezbollah, given its strong presence in the Bekaa and its unmatched influence there, is heavily involved in the trade, though indirectly, for ideological reasons," said Bilal Saab, a Lebanon expert at the University of Maryland. "However, there is no independent evidence of this involvement."

Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah leader, strongly denies Israel’s charge of “narcoterrorism.” He claimed in a speech last month that the Israelis were trying to put a political spin on what in his view is simple a drug operation run by Lebanese drug dealers in collusion with Israeli border guards.

According to Israeli police, the evidence gathered from interrogating busted traffickers demonstrates that nothing happens on the Lebanon-Israel border without Hezbollah’s consent.